Republic of the Union of Myanmar Ministry of the Office of the State Counsellor Press Release

Republic of the Union of Myanmar Ministry of the Office of the State Counsellor Press Release (21st July 2017)

1. The UN Human Rights Council (HRC) passed at its 34thSession a resolution that called for the dispatch of an international fact-finding mission to Myanmar. This resolution also extended the mandate of the Special Rapporteur.

2. The resolution was based on unsubstantiated allegations. Additionally, the establishment of the fact-finding mission would do more to inflame, rather than resolve, the complex and challenging situation that confronts the country. Myanmar therefore dissociated itself from the HRC resolution as a whole.

3. Cooperation with the United Nations is the cornerstone of Myanmar’s foreign policy. Despite our dissociation, we agreed to accept the proposal for the visit of the Special Rapporteur and to facilitate the discharge of her HRC mandate.

4. Many government representatives discussed with the Special Rapporteur, during her visit, the challenges facing our country and our efforts to resolve them.

5. During these discussions we outlined clearly for the Special Rapporteur the extensive steps the government has taken to promote peace and development for the benefit of the people of Myanmar. We also stated that we are committed to overcoming the challenges we face.

6. The Special Rapporteur met many government representatives who discussed with her the challenges we are striving to overcome in our efforts to achieve stability and peace throughout the country. The steps the Government has taken to promote development and communal harmony was also explained to the Special Rapporteur.

7. However, we are disappointed with the Special Rapporteur’s end of mission statement.

8. We had hoped that the Special Rapporteur's statement would reflect the difficulties of resolving the problems that are a legacy of decades of internal conflict, isolation and underdevelopment. The Special Rapporteur's statement instead contains many sweeping allegations and a number of factual errors.

9. Our goal is clear: to achieve a peaceful, democratic, and prosperous country, for all the people of Myanmar. While we have made significant strides, we accept that many challenges remain and that these cannot be resolved overnight.

10. Forging a lasting nationwide peace is our first priority. The Government is committed to building a democratic federal union based on the principles of freedom, equal rights, and justice for all.